Canadian cancer research funds challenged

HAMILTON, Ontario, July 6 (UPI) -- Less money donated to the Canadian Cancer Society is being used for research in favor of administrative costs, a Canadian Broadcasting Corp. report said.

After examining the charity's financial reports dating back to 2000, the broadcaster determined the level of funding for research on the disease declined from 40.3 percent of donations in 2000 to less than 22 percent this year.

"The area that's getting the greatest portion of donor dollars is fundraising, up from 26 percent of all monies raised in 2000, to 42.7 percent in 2011," the report said.

Dr. Brian Lichty, a cancer researcher at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, told the CBC he's not afraid to challenge the society's fiscal policy.

"Most scientists don't realize that the budget has been going up and up, and donations have been growing, but the budget for research has been shrinking," he said. "So they are surprised and disappointed when they find out that this is the case, and the trend."

No one at the cancer society was willing to be interviewed, but the organization issued an e-mail statement regarding the criticism.

"While funding cancer research is a crucial part of the society's work, we also have profound responsibilities to do everything we can to reduce the risk of Canadians ever developing cancer and to provide meaningful support to people living with cancer," a spokesperson for the society wrote.